


sandcastles

by sub_textual



Series: the way we were [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Crack, Gen, Kid!Kakashi, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-08-18
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2017-11-12 08:58:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/489093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sub_textual/pseuds/sub_textual
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a jutsu went terribly wrong, leaving Kakashi a four year old, Iruka was given custody of him. How could anything possibly go wrong? The companion fic to panda_shi's "Pygmy."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [panda_shi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/panda_shi/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Pygmy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/488628) by [panda_shi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/panda_shi/pseuds/panda_shi). 



This was not at all what Iruka was expecting when he was called into see Sandaime.  
  
He thought that perhaps Sandaime wanted to play a nice game of Go over some sweets and hot tea -- just one of the things Iruka shared with Sandaime (the tea, not the game, which he wasn’t very good at, but which Sandaime always insisted they play while having a nice talk). Or perhaps, Sandaime wanted to talk to him about the revised Academy curriculum which Iruka had personally redesigned when he realized that the children weren’t progressing as easily as everyone had hoped (it wasn’t a time of war anymore, and the younger generation grew up a little slower -- which was a real relief for Iruka, who already felt they grew up too quickly). Or maybe Sandaime had news about Naruto that Naruto himself would never want to share.  
  
But instead, he found himself in a room with Sandaime, a few concerned medic-nins, and a little boy no older than four or five with a wild tuft of silver hair and large grey eyes, wearing a tiny little blue and white t-shirt with a mask attached and shorts, standing smartly at attention next to the Hokage. He looked quite a bit like Kakashi, Iruka thought when he first saw the boy.  
  
Which would make sense, seeing as the boy _was_ Kakashi, or so Sandaime explained once the medics took Kakashi out of the room.  
  
Somehow, a jutsu went terribly, terribly wrong. Kakashi was caught in the middle, and as a result, now thought he was four years old, with no recollection whatsoever of the rest of his life. In fact, it was important that they treat him accordingly, and if Iruka would be so kind as to take care of the child while they work on reverse engineering the jutsu, Sandaime would be most appreciative.  
  
What he didn’t say was that he thought Kakashi -- the adult one, anyway -- would be as well. But the slight wink he gave Iruka was enough to communicate the unspoken, and made Iruka flush a deep red.  
  
It was well known, after all, that Kakashi and Iruka shared a rather... well, _close_ relationship, even if neither one ever admitted it to anyone else.  
  
“What am I supposed to tell him if he asks where his father is?” Iruka asked, as he signed the paperwork to take custody of Kakashi.  
  
“You can simply tell him that he is on a mission, Iruka.” Sandaime responded, as he took the paperwork from Iruka and began to check to make sure everything was in order.  
  
“And if he asks about the Hokage mountain?” Because when Kakashi was four years old, there certainly weren’t four faces carved on the side of the mountain -- and a child as smart as Kakashi would certainly notice. Iruka was already imagining all the questions Kakashi would surely have, like any other child his age, and could feel the questions pressing up inside his head like an impending headache of doom.  
  
“I’m sure you’ll think of something,” Sandaime said all too trustingly with a warm smile, and Iruka wanted to break something, because what the hell was he going to do with a four year old Kakashi who would be asking all the questions Iruka didn’t know how to answer? What if he did something wrong and permanently damaged Kakashi somehow? What if--  
  
“Iruka.” Sandaime interrupted his chain of thought and Iruka looked up at him, just a touch wide-eyed. “It’ll be okay. You’ll do just fine.”  
  
Somehow, Iruka didn’t think that would be the case at all, but just bowed his head in resignation and sighed. “Yes, Sandaime.”  
  
“Now, why don’t we bring Kakashi in and introduce you to him?” Sandaime didn’t wait for an answer from Iruka, and simply called for the medics to bring the boy in who looked at Iruka -- and Sandaime -- with some degree of confusion in his eyes.  
  
“Kakashi-kun, this is Iruka-sensei. He’ll be looking after you for a little while,” Sandaime said with a smile, and Kakashi turned to Iruka and... bowed. He bowed! Like a polite little boy should! This was all quite baffling to Iruka, who had always been used to Kakashi’s brief nods and half-assed greetings -- if he ever gave a greeting at all to someone new (with the exception of respectable figures, of course).  
  
Then Kakashi looked up at him and said in a soft, polite voice, “It’s very nice to meet you, Iruka-sensei. Please take good care of me.”  
  
And Iruka’s heart did a small skip before melting as he smiled down at the boy, dimples hollowing in his cheeks, and he crouched down so he was at eye-level with Kakashi. “It’s very nice to meet you as well, Kakashi...” A beat. “...kun,” he added on. “Why don’t we go home and get you settled in, hmm?”  
  
Kakashi instinctively looked up at Sandaime for confirmation, and when Sandaime nodded his consent, Kakashi turned back to Iruka and nodded as well. “Okay,” he said, and Iruka smiled brightly, eyes crinkling with it. Kakashi was -- dare he say it? -- unbelievably cute! And so polite, too! Maybe this wasn’t going to be quite as disastrous as he had feared.  
  
Kakashi was just a polite, little boy, and certainly, they were going to get along smashingly.  
  


*

Kakashi was apparently under the impression that all of this would somehow contribute to his training, or so Sandaime informed Iruka. It was important that they keep the guise up, if only because they didn’t know how long it would take to reverse-engineer the jutsu -- which meant Kakashi would expect to go about with his day the way he did when he was four years old. This meant that he would be attending Academy along with the eleven and twelve-year olds -- under a completely different name, of course. Kakashi was told that his usual class was on an exchange program with Suna, but he was to stay behind and practice intel-collection while using a different name -- a good form of espionage training.   
  
While he was a little confused as to why he was the only one selected to perform such an important training, he certainly didn’t object to it. To Iruka’s surprise, he didn’t even have any questions about it, and didn’t ask Iruka anything as they walked out of the Hokage Tower. If anything, Kakashi was abnormally quiet for a four year old boy, despite not exhibiting any indication that he was shy at all. He walked rather confidently next to Iruka and was simply... quiet. Which didn’t strike Iruka as too odd, as adult Kakashi wasn’t prone to be a chatterbox either. But he thought perhaps, at this age, Kakashi would be more social.   
  
Looking down at the boy, it suddenly occurred to him, that perhaps they could go take care of some errands together. Sandaime had provided him with a rather sizable allowance for taking care of Kakashi, and he might as well put it into good use.   
  
“So, Kakashi-kun,” Iruka said to get the boy’s attention, and immediately a pair of dark grey eyes were focused on him. No, Kakashi wasn’t shy at all. “Since we’re going to be spending lots and lots of time together, tell me about yourself! What kind of snacks do you like? Do you have any hobbies? Why don’t we get you some toys to play with, hmm? Would you like that?”  
  
Kakashi’s eyebrows just bunched up a little in a small frown as he looked at Iruka quizzically. Which suddenly made Iruka feel a bit... odd. Because that was an expression he’d seen before on Kakashi far too many times as an adult, except, instead of a frown, it was usually a quirked eyebrow and a sideglance. And it usually meant that Kakashi found something stupid, baffling, or otherwise completely pointless. In fact, it might as well be Kakashi’s patented “are-you-kidding-me” look. But on a four year old, it seemed completely out of place. Four year olds shouldn’t have that expression at all!  
  
But then Kakashi’s eyebrows scrunched up even more, and the expression morphed into something of intense focus and concentration. As though Kakashi needed to think really hard about the answer, because he didn’t easily have it. “I like to train,” he finally said. “And I don’t like snacks. They’re too sweet and salty. Father says they’re not healthy and I shouldn’t eat them if I want to be a strong shinobi.”   
  
Iruka looked at Kakashi flabbergasted. He liked to train.  _He liked to train?!_ He was four years old for crying out loud, and the boy’s only hobby was _ training _ ?? And when Kakashi continued, with a bit of a frown, Iruka hoped perhaps maybe he would inform him of some other hobby he left out. After all, he was only four, and four year olds had a lot of hobbies, right? But then Kakashi said, “I don’t like toys. Father says they’re dis-tracking.”   
  
Iruka felt his heart break a little. What kind of father did Kakashi  have that would tell a four year old that he couldn’t have toys or eat snacks? Four year olds were supposed to love those type of things! Iruka certainly did when  he  was four -- in fact, he still had a huge sweet tooth and rather enjoyed snacks! This was all wrong, all out of place, but... somehow, entirely Kakashi. Maybe Iruka shouldn’t have felt this surprised, but a part of him had hoped, truly hoped, that Kakashi was just like any other boy.   
  
But it seemed that Kakashi was anything  _but_ just a little boy.  
  
Iruka was determined to prove Kakashi wrong -- he would show Kakashi that toys were just fine to play with. He suddenly wanted Kakashi to experience the joy all children experienced at his age when given a new toy to play with and all the time in the world to do just that.   
  
“Well,” Iruka huffed, all sorts of miffed on Kakashi’s account, “since you’re with staying with me for now, you’re allowed to play with toys! We can play with them together! You’ll like them once you get the chance -- you’ll see! They’re really fun!”  
  
Kakashi just sort of blinked at him, confusedly, but didn’t argue, and sort of nodded, which Iruka took as a sign of agreement, and promptly dragged the boy into the nearest toy shop he could find.   
  
Which ended up being almost disastrous, because the toy shop also had a section for weapons training, and instead of going towards the toys, Kakashi kept gravitating back to the weapons, examining all the  different blunt-edged shuriken and kunai and blades instead of the colorful toy section. But then, Iruka noticed that Kakashi’s gaze kept curiously -- and discreetly -- wandering over to a certain shelf in the toy section -- and upon further inspection, it seemed that he was ogling a shelf filled with soft, floppy-eared stuffed dogs. Iruka beamed from ear to ear at the revelation and let Kakashi pick out a few training weapons and targets, then told him to wait outside the shop as he happily paid for the largest and cutest stuffed dog he could find -- along with a few other toys, like a sword that lit up when it was hit against something, a set of building blocks, a bouncy ball, and a set of toy shinobi.   
  
Kakashi looked at him funny when he came out with hands filled with bags of stuff, but didn’t say anything. Iruka didn’t care, he was a little too excited and happy at the prospect of showing Kakashi all the things he bought, and announced that they should continue on with their errands.   
  
In the grocery store, despite Iruka’s best attempts to get Kakashi to pick out snacks, Kakashi just went for the healthiest option -- nuts, dried fruit, and rice cakes. And in the clothing store, instead of going for the t-shirts with bright, colorful, or playful designs like most children, Kakashi simply selected very practical clothing with no designs at all in muted colors -- blues and blacks. Iruka picked out a dog-print t-shirt for the boy, which Iruka had a feeling Kakashi agreed to only because there was an adult who was so excitedly waving it in his face (though Kakashi didn’t look that excited about it at all). He also tried to pick out a colorful dinosaur pajama onesie with footsies, but the horrified look on Kakashi’s small face had Iruka hastily (and rather disappointedly) putting the pajama set back in place in favor of the two-piece black one Kakashi pointed at instead.   
  
Kakashi thanked him for everything, and even offered to carry some bags, which made Iruka’s chest swell with warmth -- especially as some of the bags were nearly as big as Kakashi.  
  
He had a feeling, this entire experience was not at all going to go the way he had expected.  
  


*

  
It turned out that most of the toys were a waste of money.  
  
Over the course of the weekend, Kakashi didn’t even bother with the building blocks, entirely ignored the light-up sword, didn’t so much look at the toy shinobi set, and bounced the ball around _once_ before getting bored of it and putting it back in its rightful place. He did, however, occasionally play with and pet the toy dog when he thought Iruka wasn’t looking -- which made Iruka smile secretly to himself. Even if Kakashi wasn’t like normal kids -- he was a genius after all, and that probably accounted for some of his unchildlike behavior -- he was still a kid at heart. And Iruka wanted him to be a kid as long as he could be -- after all, he knew too well that Kakashi had that taken from him at far too young an age.  
  
He knew Kakashi never did have a real childhood, and even though it wasn’t like Kakashi would be in this child-like state forever, Iruka wanted to give him as much of a childhood as he could in the short time they had together like this. It was what Kakashi deserved -- Kakashi who, even as an adult, didn’t understand the point of building sandcastles or why children played in the puddles when it rained. Or why they believed in things like fairytales or fantastic stories.  
  
“I don’t see the point in giving them something false to believe in,” Kakashi’d said one day, when Iruka showed him a book of illustrated fairy tales he wanted to share with his younger students. “They’re going to grow up and realize those fairy tales are just a bunch of fluffed-up happy endings that don’t really happen in real life.”  
  
Iruka’s face had fallen as he took the book back from Kakashi, hurt welling up in his chest. Not because of what Kakashi said -- but because it was apparent that even as a child, he never was read any fairy tales. He never had anything bright to believe in at all. “You don’t understand, Kakashi,” Iruka had said, as he closed the book. “It isn’t about giving them something false to believe in. It’s about giving them hope.”  
  
Kakashi just looked away then, and that was the end of the discussion.  
  
A _thunk_ knocked Iruka out of the memory and back into the present. Kakashi had set up the target outside and was busy throwing shuriken.  
  
Iruka realized, with a bit of a shudder, that each one hit the center _ exactly . _  
  


*

That night, as Kakashi was getting into bed, Iruka sat down next to him with the illustrated book of fairy tales and the stuffed dog.   
  
Kakashi had already brushed his teeth, washed his face, and taken a bath all on his own, like he had the first two nights -- refusing any help when Iruka had offered --  and was getting ready to put himself into bed without being told that it was bedtime. He knew that it was Monday the next day, and that meant he had to prepare to go to Academy, or so he told Iruka as such, over dinner (which he helped Iruka clean up after eating everything put before him without any objection -- even all the dark green vegetables Iruka hated so much as a child).   
  
“Kakashi-kun, would you like to hear a story?” Iruka asked as he settled down next to Kakashi, and tucked the stuffed dog under the blanket with him.  
  
Kakashi looked like he was about to say no, but seemed to change his mind when he looked up at Iruka. Perhaps it was because Iruka was looking down at him with such hopeful, imploring eyes without realizing it. “Okay, but only one, cuz I have to go to sleep to prepare for tomorrow.”   
  
Iruka beamed and opened the book to the first page, putting his arm around Kakashi’s small shoulders.   
  
“Once upon a time, there was a proud little shinobi...” he began reading, and within a matter of moments, Kakashi was completely engrossed in the story of the shinobi boy who would develop the strongest jutsu of the ninja world and eventually save the world. But before Iruka could finish, he realized that Kakashi had fallen asleep, his little head tucked against Iruka’s shoulder and his arm curled around the stuffed dog. Iruka smiled softly down at the boy, and could see in his soft features, the shadow of the man he would one day grow up to be. But for now, he was still just a boy -- a boy who liked stuffed dogs, enjoyed fairy tales, and fell asleep with words of hope swimming through his head.   
  
Iruka pressed a soft kiss to the top of Kakashi’s head. “Sleep well, Kakashi,” he whispered.   
  
After all, tomorrow was going to be a big day. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued...
> 
> \--
> 
> panda_shi challenged me to write this one! I don't ever write from Iruka's POV so this is going to be interesting, for sure. I've kept the prose light for easy reading, since the rest of my stuff is usually pretty dense. Hope you guys like this one! Totally open to feedback.


	2. Chapter 2

The Academy was bustling with excitement and energy as it always was every Monday morning, with the girls gossiping about boys, clothing, and television shows, the boys talking excitedly about new training techniques and ninja heroes, and a group of slackers and pranksters in the back throwing spitballs and sleeping on their desks.  
  
Iruka had been careful to take Kakashi the long way to school, in order to avoid Kakashi’s team, which had been assigned to D-rank missions with Gai’s kids under Gai’s watchful (if not rather loud and energetic) supervision. Sandaime didn’t think Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke would do very well with the knowledge that their jounin instructor had somehow been transformed into a four year old -- so Gai was put in charge of overseeing both teams for the time being. If this went on any longer, most likely Asuma and Kurenai would also get a shot at working with Kakashi’s team, who believed their sensei was on a very important solo S-rank mission that only he could perform.  
  
The class chatter died down a bit when Iruka walked in and the students noticed that he had a little boy with him.  
  
“Good morning, everyone!” Iruka chirped merrily, dimples hollowing in his cheeks as he smiled at his students.  
  
“Good morning, Iruka-sensei,” they chorused in response.  
  
“We have a new addition to our class!” Iruka announced brightly and gently put his hands on Kakashi’s shoulders and pushed him towards the front of the room. “Everyone, this is Kougen Oukami. He’ll be studying with us for a while!”  
  
Kougen Oukami -- a play on “wide field” and “wolf” -- was the name they had decided upon for the identity Kakashi would be using on his “top-secret training mission” with this new class. Kakashi picked out the name himself the night before, after dinner. They had written down a number of prospective names, but somehow Kakashi liked this one best. So Kougen Oukami it was.  
  
Kakashi bowed politely at the class.  “It’s nice to meet everyone,” he said as he straightened up, and Iruka beamed. Kakashi was doing so well! Even in this strange situation! But his smile slowly fell when he realized just how the class was reacting to Kakashi.  
  
The entire class stared at their new classmate, completely bewildered. Iruka was certain that they were shocked at Kakashi’s size -- and age. He hadn’t expected though, that the reaction would be so negative, with incredulity painted on just about every single one of their faces -- even a bit of disgust. This was rather alarming, if not downright worrying for Iruka, especially when this was Kakashi’s first day.  
  
A rather loud, brash boy, Ryuunosuke, blurted out what the entire class was probably thinking, “How old are you, anyway?”  
  
“I’m four,” Kakashi said without any hesitation -- a response that had the entire class whispering to one another and laughing.    
  
“How the heck didja get into Academy? Aren’t you s’posed to still be potty trainin--”  
  
“--That’s enough, Ryuunosuke!” Iruka had turned bright red and was downright _ hollering _ at the boy, who only laughed in response -- the impudent child! Iruka practically had steam coming out of his ears. “You will not speak to your classmate again like that! Apologize this instant!”  
  
“But I’m just sayin’ what everyone’s think--”  
  
“I said, apologize!” Iruka could feel a vein dangerously throbbing at his temple and had a mind to march over there and grab Ryuunosuke by the collar to really teach him a lesson -- maybe make him stand in the corner in front of the class or something -- when he felt a small hand gently tug on his sleeve, making him look down. Kakashi’s eyes were quiet as he shook his head a little.  
  
“It’s okay, Iruka-sensei. I’m used to it,” the boy said quietly, and Iruka’s anger just dissipated as he stared at Kakashi in something like shock. Kakashi was _used_ to this? Was this the way others treated him all throughout his childhood? All of a sudden, all Iruka wanted to do was wrap his arms around Kakashi’s tiny form, but he very well couldn’t do that in front of the class, could he?  
  
He swallowed thickly past the sudden constriction in his throat, then looked up at the class, which had gone deathly silent.  
  
“Ryuunosuke, I will see you after school for detention,” Iruka said, and that was the end of that.  
  
For the most part, class went rather well. Kakashi had found a seat next to a girl much larger than him and paid very close attention, taking notes the entire time Iruka was talking, just barely able to see over the desk. But during breaks, Iruka found Kakashi studying everyone else -- which seemed a bit odd, until Iruka remembered that the boy was operating under the belief that he was on an intelligence-collecting mission. All things considered, Kakashi was taking the mission very seriously. He even was willing to engage the others in conversation when the kids crowded around him, asking him questions, which Iruka realized he answered distantly before redirecting the conversation back to the kids -- a rather smart tactic that he recognized as one of the most basic espionage techniques.  
  
He had always heard stories of Kakashi as a prodigy, but never in his wildest dreams did he imagine it would resemble this. It was as though Kakashi had been born to be a ninja -- he did everything almost exactly by the book, without the other kids even realizing because they weren’t nearly as far along as he was yet, despite being three times his age and in Academy for nearly as long as he’s been alive.  
  
What was even more surprising was that espionage wasn’t the only thing Kakashi excelled at -- he had stronger tactical skills, taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu skills than any of the other kids -- flawlessly striking the target with kunai and shuriken, pinning a boy much larger than him, creating genjutsu of rain falling inside the classroom, and performing henge no jutsu with the kind of ease that reminded Iruka a little too much of Sasuke. Except, Sasuke was twelve, and Kakashi was four -- and it had taken Sasuke years to perfect what Kakashi seemed to do a little too naturally.  
  
It was as disturbing as it was impressive -- that a child as young as Kakashi was able to do such things -- and it made Iruka’s heart swell with empathy. Though Kakashi was easily one of the youngest ninja Konoha had ever produced, the thought of those tiny hands taking a man’s life was enough to shake Iruka to the core as he watched Kakashi flip through the air between booby traps, and split open the throat of the straw dummy with practiced ease.  
  
It was a little too much to watch. Iruka had to turn his gaze away, because he could feel the hot prickle of all that emotion welling up in his chest stabbing at the corners of his eyes.  
  


*

  
Kakashi didn’t know why Iruka-sensei stopped watching him, but he noticed that every time he tried to meet his sensei’s eyes, Iruka-sensei always looked away. It was like Kakashi did something bad, and he wasn’t sure what it was, but it made him feel kind of funny. Like something hot and prickly was clogging up his chest.   
  
Kakashi tried not to think too much because he didn’t really understand why adults did weird things like that, and focused on practice instead. He could feel some of the boys glaring at him -- could see it out of the corners of his eyes and it made the tiny hairs on the back of his neck rise up. Those boys didn’t like him, and he could already tell they were going to be cruel to him the way his other classmates were. Older boys were always mean to him because they didn’t like how small he was, and liked even less that he was so much younger than they were. What they liked the least was that he was always better at just about everything than they were.    
  
But Kakashi knew it was just because they were dis-tracked by things like toys and snacks. That was why he never had any. Father said being a good shinobi meant cutting all the dis-track-shuns out of your life, and Kakashi thought that Father was the strongest shinobi he had ever met. He was as tall as the moon and as fast as the wind and Kakashi wanted to be just like him too.    
  
Iruka-sensei wasn’t like most shinobi Kakashi knew. He was warm and caring and gentle and always liked to hug Kakashi, which Kakashi wasn’t used to at all. Father sometimes patted the top of his head, and once in a while, Kakashi got a hug. But Iruka-sensei hugged all the time, which was kind of weird. But it was nice, because Iruka-sensei’s hugs felt good.    
  
Kakashi thought Iruka-sensei treated him a little bit like a baby, but mostly everyone older than him did, because he was only four years old. And Kakashi knew that four years old wasn’t very big, but he wasn’t a baby at all, and hated it when people treated him like that. But it was just how everyone liked to treat him, and he had to work really, really, really hard to prove to them that they didn’t.    
  
He would prove it to Iruka-sensei, too.    
  


*

  
By the time the day was just about over, Iruka had the biggest headache pushing behind his eyes, and all he wanted to do was go home and lie down with the blinds shut and a cool compress over his eyes, but he had to take care of Kakashi, so that was clearly out of the question. He gave all the kids their homework, then sent them all home, sighing heavily as he erased the chalkboard, then fussed with getting all of his papers in order before their walk home.  
  
Kakashi had gathered up all his school supplies and was waiting patiently near his desk. When Iruka finally looked down at him, Kakashi had the oddest expression on his face -- or what Iruka could make of it, under that mask, anyway. He looked almost thoughtful. Pensive.  
  
“Iruka-sensei?” Kakashi finally asked, as Iruka began to put his papers into his bag.  
  
“Hmm?”  
  
“Did I do something bad?”  
  
Iruka nearly dropped the stack of papers in his hand, but managed to catch it just before that. What kind of question was that? Why would Kakashi think he did something wrong? Was it because Iruka wasn’t paying attention to him? Iruka quickly put the papers in his bag, then came around to Kakashi. “Of course not, Kakashi-kun! You were very good today! The best student!” And Iruka gave him a big, wide smile. “I was very impressed by your skills!”  
  
Kakashi nodded then, but didn’t seem to relax just yet. He looked as though he was studying Iruka, reading him. Which Iruka was used to, coming from an adult Kakashi. But certainly didn’t expect from Kakashi at age four.  
  
“Okay,” Kakashi said quietly. “So you’re not angry at me?” His voice sounded so small, and Iruka was genuinely baffled.  
  
What on earth made Kakashi think he was _angry_? “Why would I be angry with you, Kakashi?” Iruka asked very softly, bending down to Kakashi’s height.  
  
Kakashi looked down at his feet then. “Cuz you didn’t look at me at all after target practice, but you looked at everyone else, and you kept looking away... So I thought I did something bad...”  
  
Iruka’s heart _plummeted_ then right into his stomach. He didn’t realize that Kakashi was that observational, but why wouldn’t he be? Kakashi excelled at just about everything else that any Academy student was expected to learn -- and observation was one of the very basics. Iruka should’ve been more careful, should’ve steeled his spine a little and given Kakashi the same amount of attention as he gave the other students, even if it was almost impossible to watch. Knowing just what kind of life that child would grow up to live. The kind of man he would grow up to become -- a man who was as infuriating as he was strong, as kind as he could be cruel, who lived his life tucked behind a mask and a book, behind wall after wall of deflection and distance -- always a distance -- because he had lived too hard and lost too much, and sometimes forgot that he was more than just a shinobi.  
  
This boy and his tiny hands, his perfect form, and the excellence in the way he split apart that straw dummy’s throat, reminded Iruka a little too much of the kind of pain and destruction war brought. And he prayed that his students would never have to see war -- would never have to live the life Kakashi lived. But seeing Kakashi like this -- so young, not yet broken by a lifetime of war -- broke Iruka’s heart as much as it gave him the conviction to want to give Kakashi all that he could of a childhood he never really had.  
  
But instead of doing that, he was watching Kakashi practicing to become the perfect shinobi.  
  
“Oh, Kakashi,” Iruka sounded so apologetic, as he reached forward and gently took Kakashi by the shoulders. “I didn’t pay attention to you because I didn’t want your classmates to feel like I was favoring you too much when you’re already so much more advanced than many of them! It’s your first day with this class, and you already have shown that you’re the number one student! They’re much older than you, so they have a hard time accepting that you can be so talented... and I don’t want to give them more reason to pick on you. That’s why I didn’t look at you as much today...”  
  
Even though much of that was a lie, Kakashi seemed to accept the explanation and visibly relaxed as he nodded, and Iruka smiled, gently letting his hand rest atop Kakashi’s head in a soft ruffle of hair.  
  
“You’re the only one I ever _really_ look at,” Iruka said then gently, and _that_ part was true.  
  
Kakashi smiled, reassured, and Iruka returned the smile, then leaned forward to give Kakashi a hug before rising back up. “Come on, let’s go home, hmm? I’ll make your favorite dinner. Grilled fish and eggplant miso soup, ne?”  
  
Kakashi’s eyes brightened up excitedly at that and he nodded, then ran off to collect his book bag.  
  
Iruka let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and rubbed at his temples.  
  
This was going to be far more challenging than he originally thought.

 


	3. Chapter 3

When Iruka woke up in the morning, Kakashi was gone. He wasn’t in his room or anywhere in the house, wasn’t in the backyard, or anywhere at all to be found. Iruka had made him a nice, hearty breakfast, too, in anticipation of yet another day of school. But when Kakashi didn’t appear at the kitchen table at the appropriate time, which was strange, as the little boy seemed to be very punctual, unlike his older counterpart, Iruka went to check on him in his bedroom, and found it completely empty. The bed had been made perfectly, the sheets smoothed out. Not a wrinkle to be seen.

The panic that went through Iruka’s chest then was something he hadn’t experienced since the night Naruto disappeared with the forbidden scroll. It was like a chill in the blood, a paralyzing emotion Iruka didn’t know what to do with. He searched high and low for Kakashi, and when it was clear that the boy was nowhere in the house, Iruka frantically pulled on his uniform and went running out the door, calling Kakashi’s name as he ran.

Did Kakashi run away? Did someone take him? How could anyone even have known about the boy, when they had been so careful? Only Sandaime, a select handful of ANBU, and Iruka knew of Kakashi’s predicament, and no one else -- they had taken such extreme pains to keep him safe, even using a pseudonym for him. Iruka didn’t know how Kakashi could suddenly have gone missing-- unless. Unless this had been the enemy’s plan the entire time.

Kakashi had been hit with this jutsu during a mission, after all. Maybe this had been the enemy’s goal -- to render him helpless, a defenseless tiny four-year-old who could be easily subdued and secreted away out of the village. Kakashi wouldn’t even have been able to fight back against a grown man. He was far too small to be able to really combat anyone who wanted to do him harm. And to think -- Iruka was sleeping just one room away when it happened!

There was a strange burning in his chest that Iruka couldn’t seem to quell, and the emotion quickly found itself stabbing upwards behind his eyes, until Iruka’s eyes burned too and the world was growing hazy before him. He should have been more careful! More cautious! He should have considered that Kakashi might have been in danger and taken more precautions to ensure his safety, especially in such a state.

He needed to report this to Sandaime immediately -- surely, if he couldn’t find Kakashi, Sandaime would dispatch a team who could.

“Kakashi!” Iruka called, his voice hoarse and raw from all the screaming. He didn’t even know what he was screaming for, when Kakashi was nowhere to be found. “Kakashi!”

It was at that very moment that he suddenly saw a flash of silver out of the corner of his eye. Iruka whirled, feet slamming against the branch of the tree he had been running through, and there, standing on top of a water tower, was Kakashi. Staring silently at the Hokage mountain, with the four faces carved into the side. When he heard his name, he turned his face towards Iruka, silent and impassive.

Iruka could barely even contain the relief that flooded through him at that very moment. He leaped towards the boy, running faster than he’d ever run in his entire life. In moments, he was crouched on top of the water tower with Kakashi, and had him wrapped up in his arms.

Kakashi was so small. So tiny. And Iruka was so relieved he could feel hot tears stinging his eyes.

Kakashi was safe. He was unharmed.

“Kakashi!” Iruka exclaimed as he held Kakashi close.

“You’re squeezing too tight, Iruka-sensei.” The boy said flatly, and Iruka couldn’t help but laugh as he apologized and gently pulled back and framed Kakashi’s shoulders with his hands and just looked at him. Kakashi was fully dressed, in his tiny shorts and masked shirt. He clearly had left the house on his own accord.

He left the house without telling Iruka.

And just like that, relief morphed into anger.  “Why did you run off all by yourself?” Iruka practically exploded. “Do you know how much you worried me? I was so worried that something terrible happened to you! You can’t just run off like that on your own, Kakashi-kun! Don’t you know that it’s not safe? Don’t you know that--”

“Why are there four faces on the Hokage mountain, Iruka-sensei?” Kakashi didn’t even seem fazed that Iruka had been yelling at him, and his words stopped Iruka in his tracks. He stared down at the boy, who just looked back up at him expectantly. Something in his chest clenched with the question, and he recognized it a moment as apprehension.

This was precisely what he had been worried about.

Kakashi wasn’t like other children. He was smart and far too perceptive. He noticed things other children would not, understood what others did not, and Iruka knew that Kakashi most likely would know when someone was lying to him. He wouldn’t be easily fooled, despite what Sandaime had said. I’m sure you’ll think of something, he’d said.

Sandaime must have set his expectations a little too high, because Iruka was drawing a complete blank. So he said what he thought made the most sense. “A-ah, Kakashi-kun! It seems you noticed that, huh? Well, it just so happens to be that Sandaime is planning on stepping down and a new Hokage is about to be inaugurated!” Iruka smiled brightly then, eyes crinkling up, cheeks dimpling with the smile.

But when Kakashi said nothing, Iruka opened his eyes and found the boy staring at him intensely with a deep frown. And Iruka’s stomach plummeted at that look. He knew instinctively what it meant, because he’d seen it on Kakashi as an adult. Kakashi didn’t believe a single word that he’d just uttered, and was more or less dressing him down silently.

What he didn’t expect were the next words that came out of Kakashi’s mouth. “It’s not good to lie to kids, Iruka-sensei.”

It came out very quiet, but the impact of it was strong enough. And before Iruka could stop him, Kakashi turned and leapt down from the water tower.

“Kakashi!” Iruka screamed after him and started to give chase immediately. Somehow, Kakashi knew how to chakra climb, even at his age, and was able to channel chakra into his feet for extra speed and dart and feint as fast as an adult shinobi. If Iruka wasn’t so panicked, he might have actually taken the time to appreciate the boy’s skills. But as it was, Kakashi was far too fast for a child, and somehow -- Iruka really did not know how -- the boy managed to lose him in the forest.

One moment he was there, and the next, he was gone.

Iruka found himself standing alone in a forest clearing. There was nothing but the sound of crows overhead and the rustling of trees. No footsteps, no panicked breaths. Kakashi, even at four years old, had somehow managed to best a fully grown chuunin.

Iruka let out a sigh of exasperation.

“Kakashi, what the hell am I supposed to do with you?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I finally updated this after three years. Sorry it took so long, guys. Life happens, I guess. I'm also sorry this chapter is so short. It's been a really long time since I've written anything for this fic, and it's taking me a bit to get back into it. I wanted to just get this chapter out and published, though, even though it could be a bit longer! If you like this fic, let me know if you'd like me to keep working on this... I promise the next chapter won't be posted 3 years later.


	4. Chapter 4

No one takes you seriously when you’re small.

Kakashi never really understood what his size had to do with his capability as a ninja; he was faster, smarter, more skilled than most boys twice his age and size. He could perform jutsu better than everyone in his class, could analyze a technique better than others far older than him, and most importantly, he didn’t let dis-track-shuns stop him from working hard to become a good shinobi just like Father.

Maybe everyone thought that he would get easily dis-tracked like all the other kids, which was why all the adults lied to him so much.

Kakashi didn’t think Iruka-sensei would lie to him, because Iruka-sensei seemed nice and understanding and seemed to treat him like he was somehow special. Father said that you never lie your precious people, and that was why he never lied to Kakashi. So, maybe Kakashi wasn’t precious to Iruka-sensei, because Iruka-sensei looked him in the eyes and told him something that was not true. It was not a very good lie, either. Maybe, it might have worked on other four-year-olds, but it didn’t work on Kakashi.

It made that hot, prickly thing smart again in his chest, and he didn’t like it one bit.

He didn’t know why there were four faces on the Hokage mountain, and couldn’t think of where that other face came from. He was pretty sure that just the other day, the day before he met Iruka-sensei, there were only three faces on the mountain. And Father told him that it took a long time to put a face up there, because you had to work very hard to become strong enough to be Hokage. But Father never told him about anyone stronger than him who got to be Hokage before him, so that could only mean that there was something strange going on.

Whatever it was, Kakashi was going to get to the bottom of it. But first, he was going to go back home, because he didn’t really feel like going back to stay with Iruka-sensei if all he was going to have to put up with was lies. And he missed his own bed, and his own clothes, and his own target practices that Father built for him, and all of his ninja tools that were in the very large chest in the hallway with the big shiny lock on the front that Kakashi used to have to work very hard to get open. He used to sit there in front of that chest, with two senbon in his small hands, trying to figure out the lock because Father told him that if he couldn’t even pick a lock, then he didn’t really deserve to practice with the tools inside. And though it was not a very easy task, and his hands slipped a lot, and sometimes, the lock did not want to slide out, eventually, Kakashi learned how to unlock it very quickly.

Father seemed very proud that Kakashi could do something like that, and Kakashi liked it when the weight of his hand would rest nicely on his head, and sometimes, if he was lucky, he would ruffle his hair and smile and say, “You did a good job.”

And maybe Kakashi was being a bad boy and not a good shinobi because he was running away from Iruka-sensei, when he was supposed to go to school instead. He was supposed to be on a very important training mission, but somehow, that hot, prickly thing in his chest told him that there was something strange about it. It wasn’t all that different from the feeling he got from being lied to, or the way he felt when he looked up at the Hokage mountain with four faces on it.

The trees flew by him quickly as he traveled the path he had been on so many times before.

It was the way home, which he knew very well, because Father said the most important road a shinobi will ever travel on is the one that will take him back home. So, Kakashi learned the way home from the moment he was allowed to walk around on his own, and that was why he never got lost.

Until today.

Because somehow, even though he knew the way home, the house he found himself standing in front of wasn’t the right house at all. It looked a little like the house that he lived in with Father, but it was too old. The garden in the front was overgrown with weeds, grass almost as high as Kakashi’s shoulders. The wood seemed old and worn down, and there was a large hole in the roof where a tree had grown into it, its heavy branches drooping into the rickety house. The  windows looking out onto the path were dingy and covered in a layer of dirt so thick, he couldn’t see inside.

The house looked like nobody had lived in it for a very, very long time, and not at all like the house that Kakashi went home to every day, which had bright, polished wood and windows with glass so clear, you could see straight into the front rooms from far down the path, even on a sunny day. So, somehow, even though he knew the way home, he must have gone the wrong way, because this house wasn’t home.

Kakashi turned and backtracked the way he came, because he must have taken a path he shouldn’t have taken by accident. Maybe he was thinking too much about the hot, prickly thing in his chest that he got dis-tracked something. He felt stupid for getting so easily dis-tracked by something that wasn’t even real, even if it felt very large, and tried to clear his head so he could focus on finding his way home. He walked all the way back the way he came, then, using a familiar bridge as a landmark, started to walk again. This time, he made sure to pay very close attention to where he was going. He was not going to let the prickly thing dis-track him again from the very important mission of getting home, which suddenly seemed far more important than the training mission he was supposed to be on at this very moment.

He walked and walked and walked, and he didn’t know how, but somehow, he ended back up at the old house with the tree growing into the roof again.

Kakashi didn’t know how he could have ended up here, because he knew there was no house that looked like this near their house. He would have remembered something like this, because it seemed just like the kind of place Father would tell him to avoid. So, that meant that he got lost again.

He was really starting to get frustrated about this. He had never gotten lost before, let alone twice in one day!

Kakashi wondered if this was what  felt like to be stupid, because somehow, he had gotten very dumb over the course of a very short time. He was going to keep this a secret so that Father would never know that he somehow had gotten lost twice.

Once again, he turned and went back the way he came, and this time, he went as far as going to the Hokage Tower, even though it was dangerous to do so, because Iruka-sensei was probably looking for him everywhere. Somehow, he managed to avoid getting caught. He stopped at the edge of the Hokage Tower, and turned to face the direction he came from. He knew that there were six hundred and seventy two straight steps back home from the Hokage Tower, because he counted them sometimes on the way home from the Academy. If he walked in a line without turning, it would take him exactly that many steps to get home.

He started counting as he walked, going down familiar streets, familiar paths. Passing by the shop on the corner that always smelled too sweet, and the market with all the fruit piled high in the front where Father always bought him fresh fish for dinner, and the ninja tool supply shop that must have changed their sign, because it used to be red, but now it’s blue. But shops changed their signs all the time, so Kakashi just focused on counting instead of getting dis-tracked by silly things like different colored shop signs.

He counted three hundreds steps out of the center of the village, across the bridge, and into the forest, where there were less houses and shops, but where his home was, surrounded by trees that could touch the sky that one day, Father said, he would be able to chakra climb without as much effort as it took now, like the many shinobi who went flying by overhead, traveling to wherever it was that they went.

There were no shinobi flying overhead today, so Kakashi had nothing to dis-track him from his job of counting his steps.

But much to his dismay, when he got to five hundred, he could see the broken down house with the tree growing into it, right there in the clearing where there shouldn’t have been a broken down house at all. He didn’t know where it could have come from, because old houses didn’t just grow from the ground out of nowhere, and so he kept walking and counting, but each step only brought him closer and closer, down the path, through the shoulder-high grass, and when he counted six hundred and seventy two, he was standing right at the front door.

This made no sense.

Kakashi didn’t understand what was happening. He had counted six hundred seventy two steps, and it should have taken him right where he belonged, but it took him here instead, to this house that wasn’t home with dirty windows and a tree growing through the roof. This couldn’t be home, because home was a place that was clean and bright. Home wasn’t this old house that smelled like rot and dust and dirt. Home was something warm, and it wasn’t this at all, so maybe Kakashi was in a genjutsu or something, or maybe he really did go the wrong way, because this could not be home.

Kakashi tried very hard to not panic, even if his heart was beating very fast in his chest, and he could feel his chakra spiking and swirling inside of him like a storm. It was very scary and very large, the feeling that was inside of him, and he didn’t know what to do to make it stop, because it felt like there was something trying to claw its way out of him, and making him breathe all funny and fast.

Was he being attacked? Was this a test? Maybe this was part of the mission, and he was supposed to figure it out.  

He put his hands together into the sign of the ram to dispel the genjutsu as he closed his eyes.

“Kai!” Chakra rushed through his body and out of him, but when he opened his eyes, the house was still old, still broken down, still not home.

He tried again, and again, and again, and kept on trying until he lost count, and by the time he just about exhausted his chakra reserves trying to dispel the genjutsu, he was very tired and covered in sweat and he wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Maybe this was his punishment for running away from Iruka-sensei. Or maybe it was because he was supposed to be on his training mission instead of trying to run away back home. Maybe this was all his fault. He didn’t know how to undo the genjutsu, which was too strong for him to break with his current power level.

Maybe all of this was supposed to be part of his training -- the Hokage mountain, the house was not his own. All of it was a large genjutsu to dis-track him from the very important task of his real mission, and it had worked.

Clearly, Kakashi wasn’t ready to be a real ninja yet, because ninjas didn’t get dis-tracked like this at all.

Kakashi kicked the fake door in front of him with a frustrated shout, and must have kicked it a little too hard, because the wood gave a great crack, and then the door fell forward heavily, coming right off the hinges and slammed down to the ground before it with a huge thud, sending up a huge cloud of dust, which made him cough a bit, and he had to rub his eyes a little to get the dust out of them.

He’d never encountered a genjutsu so realistic that even the illusion of dust would somehow rise up within it, but then again, the only genjutsu he’d ever seen were the ones that were in the classroom. This genjutsu was very detailed, and whoever cast it was probably a very talented shinobi if they could somehow form even dust particles in the air and conjure up the smell of rot and mold.

Kakashi was starting to feel a little impressed, even if he was annoyed and frustrated and maybe a little scared and anxious.

He sneezed, then rubbed his nose through his mask, and then peered curiously into the entryway of the house, which was very dark.

Strangely enough, the inside of the house looked quite a lot like his own, even though there was a thick layer of dust everywhere. He didn’t think it would hurt very much for him to explore the genjutsu house because maybe there was a clue about the caster, or maybe this was somehow part of his training that he had to figure out on his own.

He stepped inside the house and walked down the hall, floorboards creaking underfoot.

There was something very strange about this all. Something very wrong.

Because right there, in the front room, was a very large, dark, rust-colored stain that Kakashi didn’t feel very good about at all. And right next to that stain was a very familiar dresser that looked a lot like the one that Father had put in their front room. Kakashi frowned and padded deeper into the room, which had a design just like their own, except everything was covered in dust and cobwebs and the couch that was against the wall, which looked a bit like the one Kakashi liked so much, had the stuffing pulled out of the cushions, like some animal had gotten into it. It was covered in bird droppings, and the room smelled dank and foul.

He turned to look at the dresser again, eyes tracking up to the square, dust-covered objects sitting atop it.

Maybe the genjutsu caster had somehow seen inside their house through the windows, and that was how they knew how to recreate the front room like this. Maybe they were just trying to scare him, to prove some sort of a point. But he was certain they wouldn’t get the pictures right, because they were facing away from the windows, and not towards them. And so, he carefully climbed up onto the dresser, getting dust all over himself in the process, and managed to pick up the first frame he could get his hands on.

He wiped the glass off with the edge of his shirt, certain that there wouldn’t be any faces looking back.

  
But when he looked down, all that he could see was the bright smiling face of his father looking right back at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I finally updated again! The next update should hopefully come sooner rather than later. Sorry for the long wait! My life is crazy. If there are any errors, please let me know, this wasn't beta'd or edited. I just wanted to get it up as fast as possible. 
> 
> ...is anyone even still reading this? XD


	5. Chapter 5

“You lost him. You lost a four year old.” 

Iruka’s brow dangerously twitched as he tried his best to not lose his temper as the senbon in Genma’s mouth quirked up with his smirk. The tokubetsu jounin was starting to laugh, his shoulders silently shaking as his eyes crinkled up, and Iruka just about had to do everything in his power to not hit him right there. This wasn’t funny, not one bit! 

After begging off from his teaching duties for the day, he searched high and low for Kakashi, to no avail. No matter where he looked, there simply was no sign of the boy. Either Kakashi was very good at hiding, or Iruka simply wasn’t looking the right places, which meant that he probably needed to ask for help. Asking Gai wasn’t an option, because Gai was busy with both his and Kakashi’s teams, and if he told Gai of his predicament, there was no way that Gai would treat this with any sort of subtlety. Gai had about as much subtlety as a bull in a china shop, and the last thing Iruka needed was Gai doing something that would scare Kakashi even more, or that would tip off his students to the truth they were all trying so hard to hide. 

Asuma and Kurenai would have probably been quite helpful, but when Iruka inquired about their whereabouts, he was told that they were on a mission. 

So, that left Genma. 

The thought of telling Sandaime that he had lost the boy in his charge was simply not an option, not until he had exhausted every other avenue, and it seemed like Genma could possibly help, seeing as he and Kakashi were good drinking buddies. Iruka wasn’t very close with Genma, but he thought that if Kakashi trusted him and spent time with him, then he must be a reliable person.  But instead of taking the situation seriously, Genma had the nerve to  _ laugh _ instead! 

How preposterously rude! 

“Genma-san, this is _ not  _ funny! This is  _ Kakashi _ we’re talking about here. He’s not a normal four year old!” Iruka protested angrily as he felt the blood rising to his cheeks. 

Apparently, Genma found the entire situation hilarious because he just threw his head back and started  _ laughing _ , and Iruka had to fight the urge to not shove the shaking senbon at the corner of his mouth right down his throat and see how funny he found _ that _ . He frowned, cheeks burning as he angrily shoved his chair back and stood up with a great huff of breath. Clearly, Genma wasn’t going to take this seriously at all. Iruka had made a terrible mistake coming to him, and regretted buying him tea. Perhaps, he should have just gone to Sandaime, after all.

“Fine. Be that way. Clearly, you have no intention of helping me find him. I’ll find him on my own,” Iruka angrily muttered and turned with the intention of heading out of the shop, when Genma stopped him with a hand catching his elbow. 

“Hey, hey, wait. I didn’t say I wasn’t gonna help.” There was still mirth in his voice, but Genma sounded a little more sincere, and when Iruka looked back at him, he had somewhat of an apologetic grin on his face.

“This is very serious, Genma-san,” Iruka insisted, and Genma just sighed good naturedly and said, “Okay, okay, I won’t laugh anymore. Promise.” 

Though Iruka was a little reluctant to trust that Genma would in fact take this seriously, he was desperate enough to give it a shot, and retook his seat. “Genma-san, I really just don’t know where he could be. I’ve searched everywhere. He’s not at the training grounds, he isn’t at the Academy, the memorial… anywhere! It’s like he disappeared without a trace.” 

“Without a trace, huh?” Genma sat back in his seat with a contemplative expression on his face, and Iruka watched as the edge of his senbon went up and down as he chewed on it in thought. “Well, four year olds don’t just up and disappear. Even ones as talented as Kakashi. He’s gotta be somewhere in the village. You just gotta put yourself in his shoes. If you were four years old and probably kinda pissed off that the adult you trusted lied to you, where would you go?”

Iruka suddenly felt a little foolish. He was so hellbent on finding Kakashi, so panicked about having lost him in the first place, that he didn’t think to put himself in Kakashi’s shoes. Kakashi was probably very scared and confused, and it certainly didn’t help that the one adult he was supposed to trust, the one who was meant to watch him, had lied to him when he had most likely expected the truth. 

A pang of regret snapped through him as Iruka considered the very real possibility that he had shattered any trust, however tenuous, that four year old Kakashi had gingerly placed in him. 

Perhaps he should have just told him the truth from the start. 

“If I were four years old, where would I go…” Iruka threaded his fingers together as he considered what he would do, if he were in Kakashi’s shoes. Surely, he would want to go somewhere where he felt safe. Somewhere familiar.  _ Like home _ , he realized with a sudden icy shock going through him as an utterly new kind of panic emerged. No,  _ no _ , Kakashi couldn’t go back there. There was no more home for him to go back to -- and that place, that place was where -- 

Genma’s eyebrows shot up as Iruka suddenly pushed his chair back again and damn near stumbled over it. 

  
“I’m sorry-- I--I have to go. I know where he is,” Iruka said with a frantic breath, eyes wild as he turned and rushed out of the restaurant towards the Archives, where, buried deep beneath Konoha’s darkest secrets, was the location of where Hatake Sakumo had taken his life over twenty years ago. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe if I write this thing in smaller, unedited chunks, I'll be able to update it faster...


End file.
